Sweet Silence
by yukuro
Summary: Tired of Momoshiro's constant monkey chatter, Echizen goes to Fuji for advice. Unfortunately, Fuji is too willing to comply. Everyone knows there's really only one way to shut somone up... [MomoshiroxEchizen], [OishixKikumaru], [TezukaxFuji], [InuixKaidoh


**Disclaimer:** x_o; yuku does not own… *sad* xD

            Sweet Silence

                        by: yukuro

            Momoshiro Takeshi was loud. He also liked to talk a lot. It was not really much of an annoying rant of some sort, but more like friendly chatter that could remind a person of an overly excited monkey. Anyone who talked to him for longer than five seconds would discover this very quickly. Most people apparently did not mind entirely too much though, since Momoshiro was normally such a nice guy. Echizen Ryoma, however, found that no matter how nice his senpai was, it was just too annoying when he never shut up.

            "Well anyway, Echizen, as I was just saying, I ran into Kamio from Fudoumine the other day when he was with that muttering guy. I thought it was kind of weird since he wasn't complaining to me about his broken bike again, so I…"

            Sticking his finger in his ear, Echizen stared crossly at the ground with his eye twitching as Momoshiro continued to talk. It had to have been some kind of talent to talk for so long and still be oblivious to the fact that the person being spoken to was completely tuning him out. It was really no use for Echizen to try casually walking away. Every time he moved even a few inches, Momoshiro would instantly be at his heels again, continuingly blabbing mindlessly. All of a sudden, Echizen suddenly appreciated his annoying teacher. At least the teacher didn't follow him around and talk all the time, Echizen thought dryly to himself.

            "…don't you think so too, Echizen?" Momoshiro cheerfully held his racquet over his shoulder and grinned at the younger boy. Yes, oblivious indeed. So oblivious, Echizen held back the twitching urge to whack him in the head. "Oi, weren't you even listening?"

            "Not really," the shorter boy muttered, edging away slowly while pulling the brim of his hat down slightly. Much to his relief, Momoshiro stayed where he was, blinking at him with a slight frown. He felt the very slightest bit of guilt as he slowly slid away from his senpai, but that would not exactly stop Echizen from getting a little bit of peace…

            "Ochibi, nya!"

            …well, that was until his _other_ loud senpai decided it was a good idea to run over and attack him with a flying glomp that made a few heads turn in their direction. The twitch in Echizen's eye apparently began to grow into something that could start happening daily now. Oh, how had he been cursed with a moment without some peace?

            "Ne, Ochibi. Your eye is twitching."

            Yes, he had noticed already. In fact, it was going to twitch more soon. It might even twitch to the point where he would go insane and beat everyone down with his racquet. But he was Echizen Ryoma, and he was cool and mature. He did _not_ go around insanely beating on people with his racquet while laughing manically, no matter how good it sounded at the moment.

            "Are you sick or something, Echizen?" Momoshiro suddenly piped up again, walking to join the redhead and the short boy. "That's kind of weird how your eye keeps twitching like that. Heh, that's kind of funny…or cute…or whatever. Anyway, about what I was saying earlier…"

            Well, Echizen Ryoma would not go insane _yet_…but most likely very soon.

---

            "He likes _me_ more."

            "He does not, nya! Ochibi definitely likes his Kikumaru-senpai more than you, Momo!"

            "I've known him longer than you, Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro argued with his cheerfully smiling senpai while tugging slightly on Echizen's left arm. "I've even played doubles with him! Never mind the fact he was really bad at it. Echizen has got to like me more!"

            "Nyahaha, but Momo, aren't you the one who always fights with him too, nya?" Kikumaru pointed out with a triumphant grin. Laughing at Momoshiro's suddenly crestfallen face, Kikumaru flung his arms around Echizen from the right side and rubbed the top of the boy's hat with his hand.

            "Well, let's just ask him then!" Momoshiro exclaimed brilliantly. Hanging on Echizen's left side, he grinned and asked, "So then, Echizen. Who's your favorite senpai?"

            Glaring straight ahead as he struggled towards the clubroom, Echizen pulled the two older boys along. Seeing no way out of the question, he replied easily, "Buchou."

            "Buchou doesn't count!" Momoshiro protested, pushing the door of the clubroom open. "Everyone likes Buchou the most!"

            "Especially Fuji," Kikumaru said cheerfully. Realizing he had spoken aloud and Momoshiro and Echizen were now staring at him, the redhead rubbed the back of his neck nervously and laughed shakily.

            "Anyway, pick someone else," the dark haired boy went on, prodding the younger boy slightly. "Come on, Echizen. You know who your favorite senpai is!"

            "You're right, I do," Echizen said loudly, ducking out of the two older boy's grasps, slipping out of his hat in the process. Retrieving his hat from boys' arms and placing it back on his head, he answered, "It's Fuji-senpai."

            "Why, Echizen, I never knew you cared," Fuji said with a bright smile as he stepped into the clubroom to join the three. He smiled pleasantly at Kikumaru and Momoshiro as they frowned and pouted. "I have to admit, I'm quite fond of you as well. Saa, let's go on a date sometime then."

            The twitch in Echizen's eye felt like it was going to return soon. He should have known answering with Fuji-senpai was definitely not going to help the situation much. Although it was somewhat true. Fuji did not talk all the time like certain other senpai he had… "No thanks, Fuji-senpai. I think I'll pass. Maybe Buchou would be interested though."

            Fuji chuckled lightly as he set down his bag to change his clothes. "It seems Tezuka has been trying to avoid me lately. I must have developed some kind of repellent for him."

            "Like cooties?" Momoshiro interjected with a slightly confused expression as Kikumaru snickered. Fuji simply smiled as always at him and left them to change. Shrugging the topic off, he turned to his other senpai and started again… "Ne, Eiji-senpai…"

            Echizen quickly moved himself as far over next to Fuji as possible. Digging around his tennis bag with a slight frown as Fuji watched him curiously, the first year pushed his things around until he pulled out a napkin with a relieved grin. Tearing the napkin in half, he rolled the two halves up and stuck one in each ear. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and resumed changing. Fuji chuckled quietly at him.

            Upon the arrival of Kaidoh, Momoshiro and Kikumaru scampered out of the clubroom, still conversing of course. Smiling as he watched the two go out the door, Fuji leaned over and pulled out one of Echizen's earplugs. "Frustrated, are we, Echizen?"

            "They talk," Echizen began stiffly, buttoning up his shirt. "A lot."

            "Ah, but isn't that one of their endearing qualities as well?" Fuji asked with a gentle but amused smile.

            "You must be talking about Kikumaru-senpai," the younger boy grumbled to his senpai, taking his hat off to frown up at the slightly taller boy. "I'm talking about Momo-senpai. He's talking all the time and never stops. Even when I try to get away, he's always talking."

            "Well, I'd say that would most likely be because Momo likes you more than the rest of us," Fuji explained, tapping his chin yet his smile never leaving his face. "I suppose you put up with it as well because you like him too. Don't you, Echizen?"

            Just as Echizen opened his mouth to respond, there was a small crash from behind him. Kaidoh had dropped his tennis bag in shock of what he was hearing. Flushing from both anger and embarrassment, Echizen exclaimed as quietly as he could manage, "_Fuji-senpai_…! Don't talk about weird things."

            "It's not a weird thing at all," the smiling boy said pleasantly. "You do like Momo, don't you?"

            "No."

            "Is that so? Should I let him know that you hate him and solve all your problems?"

            "NO. You're cruel, Fuji-senpai." Flush darkening slightly, Echizen held his hat in front of his face to hide his tinted cheeks. "I never said I _hated_ Momo-senpai."

            "But you did just say you didn't like him," Fuji countered with an even smile. "Isn't it the same thing? Hate is only the absence of love. If you say you don't like someone, it's really just the same thing as hating that person."

            "Fuji-senpai, you always make things sound so negative," Echizen muttered, turning to stuff his hat in his racquet bag. "Do you really find teasing people so enjoyable?"

            Smiling widely at this, Fuji's blue eyes opened as he spotted Tezuka walking by outside. "Ah, it's very fun. Especially when it comes to certain people. The ones that are most difficult to tease are always the most fun. You should try sometime. I recommend it."

            "You also recommended Inui's juice," the younger boy said flatly, zipping up his bag. "This is probably why I shouldn't be asking you for advice."

            "Now, now, that's no way to talk to your favorite senpai," Fuji said, redirected his grin towards Echizen again. "So you need advice? What about? You can go ahead and ask me, Echizen. Unless you have someone else better in mind of course."

            It was a trap. It was definitely a trap. Echizen turned and stared straight back at his senpai for a moment. Kaidoh's quietly shuffling was the only sound in the clubroom. Fuji continued to smile mysteriously at the first year, patiently waiting for a response. Echizen had never lost a staring contest before. His sharp golden eyes had never failed him before. Well, until now when Fuji's sparkling blue eyes peeked out to smirk at him with a glimmer.

            Letting his blue eyes disappear again, Fuji smiled widely when Echizen finally shifted his gaze slightly in defeat. Fuji was surprised he had won so easily today. A certain someone must be having some love problems, Fuji thought with a wicked smile. Already, he began scheming in his head. "Well then, Echizen. Your problem is with Momo, isn't it?"

            "More like his monkey chatter," the shorter boy said dryly, fiddling with the zipper of his racquet bag.

            "You know, there really is only one sure method to shut someone up," the smiling boy said with a mischievous tone in his voice. Shifting his gaze away from Echizen to land on Kaidoh, he called to the second year, "Kaidoh, I recommend you pay attention too. I'm sure this information will be handy for you when dealing with Inui."

            "H-Hai, Fuji-senpai," Kaidoh said respectfully. Of course, he was just as confused as Echizen. He had no idea what Fuji was talking about and he was not entirely sure he wanted to find out either. Furthermore, what does "shutting someone up" have anything to do with him? And with Inui? Maybe it would be better if he backed out of the room now…

            Sighing with a pleased expression, Fuji sat down on the bench and crossed his legs. Smiling at his two kohai, he patted the bench beside him in motion to call them both over to sit beside him. Reluctantly, the two complied and sat on either side of the smiling tensai. "I remember I've been trying to get Oishi to use this method on Eiji for a very long time. Come to think of it, I'd like to try this myself on someone…"

            "Fuji-senpai, if you don't mind sharing…" Echizen said, slightly exasperated. He had probably gotten himself in trouble just be agreeing to hear whatever it is Fuji wanted to tell him. But then again, he _was_ curious in finding out what this method to keep people quiet was.

            "Ah, it's very simple actually," Fuji said, his lips curving to form a sharper smile. "The only successful way to keep a person silent is only to occupy their lips. Chances are they'll be stunned for a while and won't be needing to speak much afterward."

            Kaidoh blushed deeply and twitched in his seat beside Fuji. He sputtered at the thought of trying to keep Inui quiet with Fuji's method. It was rather disturbing yet it made so much sense as well. Of course, he had _no_ idea whatsoever about why Fuji had chosen Inui to pick on him with…right…

            Fuji's blue eyes snapped open in pleasure when the door of the clubroom swung open again and Oishi walked in with Tezuka, conversing quietly. "Perfect," he said mischievously, rising to his feet while patting the top of Echizen's head softly, "now would be a good time for a demonstration, wouldn't it?"

            Tezuka's eyes darted to Fuji the moment the boy rose from the bench. Those blue eyes meant that he was up to something, and Tezuka was not exactly sure if he should back away and run yet. Oishi's words seemed to melt together until the boy stopped completely with Fuji coming to stand next to them with his cheerful, disarming smile. The silent captain exchanged glances for a moment with the tensai. Then, all too quickly, he made the mistake of opening his mouth. "Is there something you want?"

            "Yes," Fuji answered truthfully, smiling brightly up at the other boy. Oishi looked back and forth between the two, feel his cheeks color for some odd reason. Slowly, the vice captain began to back away. Somehow, the tension in that small area just skyrocketed. "I want you to help me with something, Tezuka."

            "Wha—" Tezuka was abruptly cut off by Fuji's smiling lips pressed on his own, successfully silencing him from further interrogation. He stood stiffly for a moment before relaxing the slightest fraction of a bit when Fuji stood on his toes to wrap his arms around Tezuka's neck. He decided he liked Fuji's ever-so sweet lips on his more than speaking.

            Finally, Fuji pulled away, leaving Tezuka in stunned but dignified silence. Smiling, Fuji lifted his arms from Tezuka's shoulders and patted the taller boy's cheek. "Thank you, Tezuka. That was a fine demonstration for our kohai."

            That…was probably the stupidest thing Tezuka had ever done. He frowned irritably and looked up to see Oishi staring at him with his jaw dropped open in utter shock. Behind him, Kaidoh and Echizen had similar looks of shock dawned on their faces. Squeezing his eyes shut, Tezuka opened his mouth to command Fuji to run laps, but surprisingly, nothing came out. Frowning even more when his voice was unable to find itself after Fuji's "demonstration," Tezuka instead held up his hands and fingers with an irritable look.

            "Ah, twenty laps?" Fuji asked, looking extremely pleased. Tezuka simply nodded curtly. Tongue darting out to quickly lick his lips once, Fuji smirked up at the taller boy. "Yes, buchou. Hmm…it was well worth it. Heh. Echizen, Kaidoh, don't forget what you've learned here. One hundred percent effective."

            Still unable to find his voice, Tezuka stared pointedly at Fuji with growing irritation. Frustration on his face, he held up his hands again.

            "Forty laps, Tezuka?" Fuji inquired, smile widening on his face. Walking towards the door, he commented slyly, "You should really speak up, ne. It's so hard to understand you with just hand motions."

            Tezuka could think of many appropriate hand motions for Fuji at that very moment, but he decided to restrain himself. Of course, he would not be admitting to anyone soon that it was rather pleasant to have Fuji silencing him. Glaring at the grinning blue-eyed boy, Tezuka lifted his arm and pointed out the door. Finally in a cracked voice, he commanded, "Go now."

            The other three Regulars watched in shock as Fuji cheerfully left Tezuka in a whirl of frustration. Oishi nervously approached Tezuka, his green eyes still slightly wide with surprise. "T-Tezuka, are you alright?"

            The irritated boy with the glasses doubted he looked all right. "Fine," he muttered, clearing his throat. Fuji would always be a troublemaker and somehow, the trouble he usually caused involved torturing his teammates. Tezuka knew this well, after all, he seemed to be Fuji's favorite person to pick on. "Just fine."

            Echizen watched silently as Tezuka quickly walked back out of the clubroom, forgetting to change. A smirk appeared on his face. Fuji knew what he was talking about after all. It was an interesting show to see Tezuka flustered. Now he only wondered if he could manage to pull a stunt like that on Momoshiro…

            Kaidoh glanced to his side to see Echizen suddenly blushing with a faint trail of a smirk on his lips. He decided it was better to ignore it. There were already enough strange happenings this morning.

---

            Momoshiro walked glumly down the halls of Seigaku with Kikumaru at his side. "I feel like Echizen doesn't even listen to me when I'm talking to him," he said miserably to his senpai. "Did you ever feel like this, Eiji-senpai?"

            "What was that?"

            "Eiji-senpai!" the younger boy wailed, frowning at his senpai with an almost pathetic look on his face. "That's too mean."

            "Sorry," the energetic redhead apologized with a lopsided grin. Winking, he lifted his hand to pull on Momoshiro's cheeks. "Don't worry about it, Momo! It's not your fault you talk a lot, nya. I probably annoy Oishi the same way…" The older boy suddenly frowned at his own words and moved his arms until he was hanging on Momoshiro's shoulders. "I guess…we can only wait until they say something about it, ne?"

            Raising an eyebrow, the younger boy asked, "Ne, Eiji-senpai. Are you saying that to reassure me or yourself?" He grinned widely. "Oishi-senpai is so nice. I'll bet he actually likes it when you ramble on endlessly all the time."

            "Hoi! That's no way to talk to your senpai!" Fuming and blushing furiously at the same time, Kikumaru pouted angrily as Momoshiro quickly ran down the hall, laughing loudly as he ran. Turning to walk to his classroom, he ran smack into his doubles partner. "Ite!"

            "Eh, sorry, Eiji," Oishi said lightly with a dazed expression, catching his partner's arm before the redhead could tumble backwards. Smiling kindly at the other boy, he asked, "By any chance, did you happen to see Tezuka come by this way? He just left the clubroom."

            "No," Kikumaru said quietly, squeezing one eye shut and rubbing his forehead. Blinking up at the other boy, Kikumaru asked with a playful frown, "Oishi, have you gotten taller or something? I thought we were still almost the same height."

            Oishi found his head being pushed down slightly until he looked directly in Kikumaru's sparkling blue eyes, which were only a few centimeters away. Oishi could feel his cheeks warming significantly, yet he was having trouble pulling away. Not really because Kikumaru had his hands holding his head down, but probably because his partner was looking at him so intently.

            "Oishi," the redhead suddenly said, his cat-like eyes blinking. His cheeks tinted slightly under his eyes as he shifted his gaze away from the other boy's kind green eyes. "Do you think I talk too much? Is it annoying…? Is it annoying when I talk all the time to you, nya? Because I was just talking to Momo and he thinks that Ochibi is—…"

            Although Oishi was patiently listening to his partner as usual, he felt that he needed to silence the boy for a while to get a word in. Before he could stop himself, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips up against his partner's, stunning the redhead to silence. Oishi had no idea what had possessed him to suddenly kiss his partner. Fuji and Tezuka must have had an effect on him after all.

            Kikumaru instantly froze when soft lips were pressed against his own, his blush deepening to the color of his hair. He felt no urge to push his partner away, so instead the redhead closed his eyes and melted, murmuring the green-eyed boy's name. "Oishi…"

            Finally breaking their kiss, Oishi faced his red-faced partner with his own darkened face. Slowly, he drew a smile onto his face. "Eiji, I don't find you annoying. You know that. No matter what you do, I can only smile and accept it. I can't hate anything because…it's you. Sometimes though, silence should be taken advantage of. Don't you think so?"

            Blush still heavily visible on his face, Kikumaru blinked again, slowly processing all that had happened. Oishi's face shone through all the stars he was seeing and soon he found it possible to smile brightly again. As realization hit him, his smile melted away again. "But, Oishi…it's wrong. I'm not a girl. We're both boys, it's wrong for us…"

            "I know that," Oishi admitted with a quiet sigh. "There's something else I believe though. Every person in the world has a soul mate somewhere. There really aren't too many that are lucky enough to find the person for them. I believe it's the soul that is important, not the body. If two souls love each other, they'll be that way forever, no matter how many shapes they take."

            "Oishi…" Kikumaru stared nervously at the ground, his face completely red. "I like you a lot really… I don't want us to be hurt though… Oishi, what can we do?"

            "Keep quiet for a minute," Oishi said with a soft smile, leaning over to catch the redhead's lips again to stop words from coming out. Sweeping the boy's red bangs away from his face, Oishi smiled kindly. "Silence will be your answer, Eiji. Some things will be hard to say, but silence is an answer too. Eiji, I care for you more than anyone else."

            "Oishi is…" Kikumaru finally raised his head, a sweet smile on his face, "…my most important person. Ne, Oishi. I see your tactic now. Every time you kiss me, it's to get me to shut up, isn't it?"

            "Well, maybe just a little," the green-eyed boy said with a laugh. "I don't mind you talking, I just see better use for your lips."

            "_Oishi_!"

            "Eiji, you're so cute when you're blushing."

---

            Kaidoh was a patient person. It never bothered him when Inui mercilessly tormented him with his evil juice or teased him about such strange things. Today was a little bit different however. His patience began to wear a little thin.

            "Kaidoh," Inui called calmly as the second year was stretching his legs. Walking over to join the younger boy, Inui went on, "I've just finished a fifteen page report on the advantage of certain strategies on different types of courts. Would you like to read it?"

            "No thanks, Inui-senpai," Kaidoh muttered, shuddering at the thought. He had enough problems dealing with Inui's randomly complicated topics on a normal basis. Reading one of his reports would not exactly be most pleasing. Though he did feel the slightest bit of guilt.

            "Well, now I can read you the five page summary."

            …on second thought…

            Straining his ears to politely force himself to listen, Kaidoh stared blankly at the ground as Inui began to speak. This is why no one would go on dates with Inui, the younger boy thought to himself. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his senpai. The second year's face darkened visibly when his eyes unconsciously locked on to the older boy's moving lips. He was crazy to think about it, but somehow, Fuji had made it seem so appealing with his earlier demonstration. Plus, it did _not_ look like Inui was going to stop droning anytime soon.

            The second year looked hopelessly up at his senpai as he blabbed on. He suddenly felt gutsy enough to use any method possible to keep the older boy quiet, but he had just one little problem… Inui was almost ten whole centimeters taller than him. Kaidoh frowned at their height distance, which went completely unnoticed by Inui. Getting an idea, Kaidoh pulled himself up to sit on the top part of the water fountain before pulling the blinking Inui down by his collar.

            They shared an awkward and messy kiss, but it was definitely effective. When Inui finally had to pull away for air, his glasses were crooked and his cheeks were slightly flushed. He stared, bewildered, at the blushing boy in front of him sitting on the water fountain. "K-Kaidoh…"

            "Sumimasen, senpai," Kaidoh mumbled an apology, shifting his gaze away as his cheeks turned visibly red. Even though he had apologized, he really did not regret his actions. Would this lead to some kind of punishment?

            Flustered, Inui dropped his papers on the ground and pushed his glasses back into place. Still flushing, the older boy slowly eyed the second year sitting nervously before. He wondered why it had never occurred to him what a lovely compromising position they were in. A crooked grin appearing on his face as he advanced on Kaidoh, Inui muttered cheerfully, "Don't bother apologizing, Kaidoh."

            The younger boy's eyes widened when Inui's lips were firmly placed on his own again. He quickly relaxed and closed his eyes, his face still heavily heating up. As Inui leaned forward, Kaidoh sank deeper into the water fountain and yelped when some of the remaining cold water touched his skin. Unfortunately for him, Inui decided to advantage of his open mouth.

            "Uh…I'm guessing this is kind of a bad time to interrupt…?"

            Annoyed expression on his face, Inui glanced over his shoulder at the gaping Momoshiro who was almost speechless. Kaidoh simply sank deeper in mortification. "Can I help you, Momo?"

            Pulling at his collar, Momoshiro took a few steps back from the pair. "I… I was just wondering if you've seen Echizen around," he managed to sputter. "I think everyone else has disappeared…"

            "Echizen just left. If you hurry, you should be able to catch him," Inui said bluntly, hinting for the other boy to leave. _Quickly_, if he didn't want to die a horrible, painful, torturous, not to mention _painful_ death.

            "Oh…uh…t-thanks," Momoshiro muttered hurriedly, dashing towards the front gate with bright red spots on his cheeks. Unfortunately, as he ran, he couldn't quite tune out Inui and Kaidoh's conversation.

            "Kaidoh, I worry about how much your rival over there knows about you."

            "I-Inui-senpai, I'm getting wet…"

            "Good. Would you like to take your clothes off?"

            "Inui-senpai! W-Wha…?!"

            "Only joking, Kaidoh. Well, mostly."

            Face flaming, Momoshiro dashed out of the school and around the corner. How stupid of him to speak two people while they were making out… Shuddering, Momoshiro walked faster until he spotted a white Seigaku Regular jacket not too far away. "Oi! Echizen! Wait up!"

            Echizen stopped stiffly, frowning at the ground as his senpai caught up to him. He couldn't help noticing the older boy's flushed cheeks though. Watching his blushing senpai lean over to pant beside him made Echizen's own face flush. Not that he had any idea why of course. He was slightly curious about why Momoshiro was blushing. All he had to do was wait since sooner or later Momoshiro would start blabbing.

            "I…wanted to talk to you," Momoshiro began slowly, standing up straight again. His cheeks remained rosy. Partly because he couldn't get the disturbing image of Inui and Kaidoh out of his mind and partly because Echizen suddenly seemed so cute…

            "I'm not surprised," the younger boy muttered, walking ahead. He still wasn't surprised when Momoshiro joined him. "You always have something to talk about, Momo-senpai."

            "Well, it's better than having _nothing_ to talk about," the taller boy said stiffly, eyeing the first year. "I feel like I always have to talk around you since you never say anything. Since you never say anything, I won't have a reason to be around you anymo—I…should not have said that."

            The first year froze in his tracks and blinked several times. Unconsciously, he began to blush lightly which happened to uncharacteristic for him. "What is that supposed to mean, Momo-senpai?"

            "Nothing," Momoshiro answered quickly, clapping a hand over his mouth. 

            "Momo-senpai…" Echizen began sharply, staring up at his senpai with his large golden eyes. "Tell me what you said right now."

            "I didn't say anything," Momoshiro said innocently, grinning at the younger boy. Echizen was so cute when he was angry…

            "You never don't say anything," the younger boy said dryly, turning to face his senpai. It made him frown to see how much taller Momoshiro was than him. Edging on his feet, Echizen rose to his toes as much as possible without making it seem too noticeable.

            Momoshiro blinked when he noticed Echizen fidgeting slightly. He blinked once again when he saw the younger boy edge to his toes. Bursting out laughing, he exclaimed, "Echizen, you're too cute! Want me to find you a box to stand on so you can talk to me?"

            "Shut up," Echizen muttered, his cheeks flushing a bit more. How embarrassing… Momoshiro would pay for sure.

            "Or…or maybe you can get some cans to step on as you walk around! I can just imagine it!" Momoshiro continued to laugh, tears coming to his purple eyes. Holding his stomach, he leaned over to ease his laughter.

            Seizing the opportunity, Echizen's eyes lighted up. "I'll give you one last chance to shut up and stop laughing, Momo-senpai."

            "Or what?" Momoshiro continued to crack up. "What are you going to do? Kiss m—…"

            Oh, how enjoyable silence can be. How even more enjoyable seeing Momoshiro's bright violet eyes widen in shock. Yes, Echizen believed he had a reason to be thankful to Fuji-senpai for this one. He never knew silence tasted so sweet.

            "E-Echizen…" Momoshiro began slowly when Echizen finally pulled his lips away. The younger boy bowed his head to hide his flaming cheeks and satisfied smirk. "You…"

            "I warned you fairly, Momo-senpai," Echizen said flatly, pulling the brim of his hat down. "It's…annoying when you talk all the time."

            "Echizen…" Suddenly beaming, Momoshiro laughed loudly and threw his arms around the younger boy, shocking him nearly to death. "Why are you so adorable?! Let me kiss you again!"

            "No! Oi, Momo-senpai! Let me go!" The younger boy flailed his arms until he finally decided to give in when his senpai rest his head on his slim shoulder. Echizen slowly softened, shifting his eyes to the ground. "Momo-senpai…why are you always talking to me so much?"

            "Didn't I blurt it out already?" Momoshiro asked with a muffled smile into Echizen's shoulder. "How else do I find a reason to be around you? If…it bothers you that much for me to be near you, I guess I don't mind keeping quiet."

            "I…don't really care," Echizen stated slowly, feeling his flush return Momoshiro tightened his arms around him into a hug. "I don't really care when you're around me, Momo-senpai. I…It's nice, but…it would be better if you kept quiet."

            "But then if I keep quiet there's no more reason for you to kiss me!" Momoshiro exclaimed turning his head to smile into the younger boy's neck. "I wish you weren't so cute. Then I wouldn't have to worry about liking you so much, E-chi-zen Ryo-ma!"

            "Momo-senpai," the younger boy began, "if I hit you right now with a racquet….would you change your mind about what you just said?"

            "No," Momoshiro said with a frown. "Is it a bad thing that I like you?"

            "No," Echizen repeated with the same tone. Shifting so that he turned to face the older boy, he smirked. "I was just asking so I could hit you if you said 'yes.' I can't say you're cute, Momo-senpai, but I guess I can say that…I like you too…"

            "…so _now_ can I kiss you?"

            "Sure, if you want to die."

            "I'll die happy then."

            "…"

---

            All seemed well at Seigaku the next day. The only problem was that Inui, Kikumaru, and Momoshiro seemed to be talking much more than usual, sending pointed looks at certain people in expectation. Maybe those three were getting just a little too hopeful. Not that the _other_ three Regulars minded…well, except maybe Echizen.

            "Everyone seems to be in a good condition today, don't you think, Tezuka?" Fuji asked cheerfully from the side as they watched the other Regulars busily chatting while playing their games.

            "They're too…" Tezuka began with a frown as he crossed his arms. He shot a short glance to his side where Fuji stood with a mischievous grin.

            "Talkative?" Fuji supplied, smile widening. "I think it's healthy for them personally. I'm glad to see that they've all learned something from the experiment they witnessed…"

            Tezuka continued to stare shortly at Fuji as the shorter boy cheerfully spoke. Sighing slightly, Tezuka closed his eyes. This could be something he would regret later, but… Reaching out, he pulled Fuji's chin up and let their lips crash together.

            Fuji's eyes snapped open in shock and he even jumped slightly. Before he could move again, his lips were parted and the kiss was deepened. Silence truly could be so sweet if taken advantage of…

            Pulling away for air, Tezuka kept his eyes closed and straightened himself. Correcting his glasses, he muttered, "Payback for last time. That should teach you to talk like that to me."

            Lips forming a bright smile again, Fuji laughed, since otherwise he would be speechless. "Silence is sweet, isn't it, Tezuka?"

            "…I suppose."

            "I can always make it sweet for you though. Like I said, one hundred percent effective."

            Owari.

--- --- ---

**A/N:** Whew! I had this about half done since the first day of April XD I realized I would be busy the rest of the spring break (nooooooo!) so I finished this as quickly as possible so I could get it posted. ^.^;; I hope it turned out alright.

Heh…so much kissing… x] it's fangirl paradise! *insert wild laughter* Ok, ok… that's all! ^^;; Still in humor mode from "Tenipuri Phone Messages" heheh… oh well!  
Thanks for reading and please leave a review! Thanks!! -^^-


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